In between baking and enjoying a walk on this warm Christmas Eve day, I also finished reading another Christmas novel. This one told the story of Joy, a teacher who was struggling with the failure of her marriage and dysfunctional relationship with her sister – part of the reason her marriage was over. Joy was frustrated and impulsively decided to get on a flight to Hope, British Columbia.

Her flight crashed. She was rescued and spent the holidays in a coma while she lived an alternate life, helping a little boy named Bobby cope with the sudden loss of his mother. His father, Daniel, had come back into his life and was working to repair his relationship with his son when Joy “appeared” at their lodge. The trio spent the period leading up to Christmas together as they healed.

Joy woke up and was confused to discover that the alternate life was all a dream. As she rebuilt her relationship with her sister, she healed and researched the setting of her alternate life. Joy ended up selling her home and setting off on adventure to search for Daniel and Bobby.

This was a fluffy, quick read. It was heartwarming but a bit on the predictable side and is not a book that I would read each Christmas.